Like many other companies around Eindhoven, KMWE started as a small-scale subcontract producer of prototypes and components for Philips and DAF. That was just over 50 years ago. Ever since then, expertise, creativity and flexibility have been three of the principle elements in KMWE’s operations. A number of patents in the area of production technology are some of the results of this. Such developments have been of great benefit to customers. Consequently, the customer base has widened considerably. Over 50 percent of production is currently exported.
Ten years ago, KMWE invested in added value for customers. Besides individual items, the company’s offerings were also to include partially assembled components and entire systems.
Thus, the company now has two solid bases – precision components and precision systems. The latter base involves delivering assembled modules or total solutions in the form of complex systems. These systems can be tested and ready for use. They can also be prototypes or short series.
Including assembly in a clean room environment whenever necessary, the systems side of operations has grown rapidly in recent times and now accounts for around two thirds of the company’s turnover.
Berry Geven: “It’s all about looking beyond the price tag on new investments. What things costs is not as important as the revenues they generate.”
KMWE’s customers come from industries as disparate as aerospace, analysis, data storage, semiconductors, defence, medicine and optics. Common to them all are severe requirements in respect of precision, quality and delivery times. All of KMWE’s 240 employees are well aware of the demands.
Returning to the production of precision components, where KMWE has long worked closely with System 3R, Managing Director Berry Geven relates: “We started palletising workpieces about 25 years ago. With the benefit of hindsight, we can say that this was the first step on the road to KMWE’s one-off production operations of today.”
Installed in 2002, the first robot was a five-axis DMG plus a WorkMaster with 42 positions for Dynafix in its magazine. The cell proved to be as efficient as had been hoped and was soon followed by more. The company now has six DMG machines in three WorkMaster-served double cells. An impressive sight – especially at night-time.
Day and night – the glow of production from the highly efficient double cells
The Dynafix pallets carry one or more workpieces, predominantly single applications. However, 20 percent of the pallets carry up to four. One third of machining is in “difficult” materials such as stainless steel. The rest is in aluminium.
“The double cells deliver around 12,000 spindle hours a year,” reveals Geven. He continues: “We use System 3R’s WorkShopManager software. This gives us a host of advantages. For example, using the BatchBuilder function, we can produce ‘component kits’ from a single blank. These components are then used in fully or partially assembled products. Our record is 12 different components from a single blank.”
We are here undoubtedly in the field of highly advanced, automated, one-off production. And lead times? Complemented by a number of bought-in components, a complete kit taken directly from a machine is ready for assembly. Thus, there is no temporary storing of parts while waiting for the completion of all the components in a unit. The automatic cells deliver truly complete kits – Fix und Fertig!
Thumbs up – the operators are clearly pleased with the automatic double cells!
Berry Geven concludes “Success in the face of ever stiffening global competition rests on – standardising tools, fixtures, etc – automation of production – keeping a close eye on the latest technical developments. For example, System 3R’s new vibration-damped pallet system, and, last but not least – looking beyond the price tags on new investments. What things cost is not as important as the revenues they generate!”
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Layout drawings:
WorkMaster (1250/150) & two DMU 70 eVolution
WorkMaster (1250/150) & two DMU 70 eVolution
Related links:
WorkMaster
WorkShopManager
Automation
VDP
Dynafix